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Expressive magenta eyes stared at the night sky. The captivating sparkle of one star caught her full attention and the girl sighed.
It didn’t matter how many times she came to this house in the forest, Akari would never change her mind that the sky there was way more beautiful than in the city.
She retrieved her hands when her senses came back to her, noticing how cold the glass of the window was. The girl also blinked at the sight of the condensation of her breath, forming a small white cloud drawn on the glass.
Even though it was spring, the nights were cold just like in the winter.
Nice thing I brought a coat with me. She thought, cleaning her little cloud-like shape.
But…
It was already evening. Her pink eyes looked at the clock on her phone, 22 pm to be more exact.
It was late, too late. There still were trains at the station, but it was way too dangerous to ride during night time. Not to mention the cold; Akari flinched at the thought of having to face both and hugged herself.
“Oozora.”
She blinked and looked to her side.
Magenta eyes met navy blue ones while hot steam caressed her nose. She looked down and smiled at the cup of tea.
“Here.”
“Thank you, Sena-san.” She nodded and took the cup, smelling its sweet scent.
“It’s already pretty late.” Sena took a sip of his own tea and frowned. “I’m sorry for keeping you for so long.”
“Oh, no, no! Not at all!” The honey brunette shook her head. “It was my idea after all! I really wanted to help you with your designs, but…”
She glanced at the pile of drawings on Sena’s desk. All beautiful, but none that actually could satisfy the designer.
“It’s not your fault.” Her attention went back to the maroon-haired young man. “It takes time to find the right coord.”
“Yeah, I know…” The girl took another sip of her tea, looking down. Sena stared at her and couldn’t help but feel a little bad. He understood how she was feeling, it was frustrating, but they could overcome that together.
He blinked.
Yeah, together.
Like they did before, like she helped him before. Twice.
“Actually…” His mouth began to move before he could stop it. “I’m glad you came to help me. It would be much more complicated if you weren’t here.”
He glanced at her by the corner of his eyes, using the cup resting on his bottom lip to hide the faint rosy blush in his cheeks as her eyes sparkled like one of the stars in the sky.
“R-Really?”
He nodded.
Akari smiled – the sight of her blushing cheeks and shinning magenta eyes made something feel like butterfly’s wings were moving around his stomach – and looked back at her cup.
“That makes me happy. Thank you.”
“H- Hm.” He cleared his throat. Calm down, Tsubasa, what’s wrong with you?
“But you know… “ Sena blinked and looked back at her, she was looking at the room. “Speaking of it…”
Silence came afterward, being cut only by the tick-tock of the clock. His sharp blue eyes traveled through her features. Her bangs, her eyelashes, her cheeks, her little string of hair that was touching her rosy lips.
He shut his eyes tightly. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you?
“Sena-san.”
The boy looked back at her at the exact moment she turned her head and their eyes met.
“Yes?”
“Don’t you get lonely?”
“Huh?”
“I mean. You spent most of your time here, right?” Her tone was sad. “I know you can visit Amahane-san any time you want, but… It’s not the same.”
Sena looked down at his almost finished tea and sighed. He hated to admit it, but she was right.
He didn’t mind being by himself, but it could get a bit lonely at times.
“Also… Because of your work, you have spent sleepless nights and haven’t eaten well either.”
His eyes went wide.
“W-Wait, how do yo-“
“Amahane-san.”
“But ho-“
“She told me once.” Akari kept looking at him. “She also told me that this was a habit of yours when you were her pupil. I thought she was exaggerating a bit, but…”
She then pointed under her own eyes.
“I saw dark circles under your eyes. More than once.”
He looked away, feeling kind of guilty. Not long after, though, he looked back when he felt something warm hugging the hand which held his cup. Sena blinked when his brain registered the image of the girl holding his hand with hers.
“Sena-san.” Akari smiled at him. “Dreamy Crown is amazing and you are a great designer, but please don’t be so harsh with yourself. And… Let me help you once in a while, like today. Or just let me keep you company, so you won’t have to be alone.”
The boy stared at the petite girl before him. Her genuine smile gave him a strange warm feeling in his chest. It wasn’t bad, on the contrary.
It was comforting. Refreshing.
Reassuring.
“Thank you.” He whispered. It was low, but enough for her to hear. Akari’s smile became even bigger and she nodded.
Some minutes passed before Sena came back to his senses and released his hand from her.
“A-Anyway.” He cleared his throat for the second time. “It would be troublesome for you to go back at this hour. We have no choice, then. Do you mind sleeping here?”
“Eh?”
“Well, I can accompany you too, if that’s the case.”
“Wah! No, no! It’s too late and you would have to come back alone, so no! It’s too dangerous!” The honey brunette nodded, a determined look in her eyes. “I don’t mind sleeping here, if that’s okay for you, of course.”
“It’s okay. Well, I’ll find a place for you to sleep. I guess I still have a spare futon… Or you can sleep on the bed too…” He said while turning around in direction for the room.
“Eh? Why don’t we share the bed?”
His head snapped back at her, his blue eyes slightly wide.
She blinked and tilted her head. “It’s that a problem…?”
He stared at her who stared back.
“I… I think it’s best if I sleep on the futon. Really.”
“Ah, well… If you say so.”
“Yes. Excuse me.” The maroon-haired boy said and rushed to the room, cursing in his my mind his heart which started to beat incredibly fast. Akari just stared as he disappeared through the door, still completely oblivious.
Nevertheless, she smiled happily, glad to be able to help him somehow.